Category Archives: State Government

List of vehicles for the ‘Clean Air Blue Skies’ plates expanded

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energy-efficient-license-platePHOENIX — On May 20, the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division created another opportunity for specific hybrid vehicle owners to obtain one of the “Clean Air – Blue Skies” Energy Efficient license plates. At the time of the release of the latest series of plates, there were six initial vehicles on the qualifying list and now three additional vehicles have since been added.

The federal program, which began in 2007 as a pilot, is designed to test the impact of allowing 10,000 hybrid vehicles to have access to the HOV lanes in Arizona during peak travel times without occupancy restrictions. The maximum limit of 10,000 plates is still part of program stipulations; there are 1,800 of the special plates now available as a result of non-renewed or canceled registrations.

Until Sept. 30, 2017, states may allow low emission vehicles, and those certified and labeled as low emission and energy-efficient vehicles (including alternative fuel vehicles) that do not meet the established occupancy requirements to use high-occupancy vehicle lanes so long as the state establishes procedures to enforce the restrictions on the use by these vehicles.

The program requirements for qualifying vehicles remain the same as announced on May 20, limited to only plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is the federal authority that establishes the certification and labeling requirements for low emission and energy-efficient vehicles. When vehicles are added to the qualifying list, ADOT will immediately update Arizona’s qualifying list.

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles may be driven for a longer period of time on solely electric power, reducing both the amount of fuel consumed and tailpipe emissions released compared to normal hybrid vehicles. Reduced vehicle pollution supports the purpose of the “Clean Air – Blue Skies” program by encouraging the use of low-emission vehicles to improve the air quality in the Phoenix metropolitan area.

To qualify for the Energy Efficient plate, a customer must own one of the following plug-in hybrid electric vehicles from specific model years, which must be currently registered at the time of application: Chevrolet Volt (2011-2014), Fisker Automotive Karma (2012), Ford C-MAX Energi (2013-2014), Ford Fusion Energi (2013-2014), Honda Accord Plug-in Hybrid (2014), and Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid (2012-2014). The following vehicles have been added to the qualifying list: BMW i3 Range Extender (2014), Cadillac ELR (2014) and the Porsche Panamera S E Hybrid (2014).

If qualified, the vehicle owner must complete the online Energy Efficient plate application process located only on ServiceArizona.com and submit a payment of $8 (initial application fee) plus postage and handling. Plates will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. The Energy Efficient plates will not be distributed at Motor Vehicle Division or Authorized Third-Party offices. The standard Arizona vehicle license tax applies to all plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Those with a temporary registration paper plate or permit are not eligible until the owner actually receives an issued license plate.

After completing the Energy-Efficient license plate application and the customer chooses to have the disability emblem added, the customer must complete a Disability-Hearing Impaired Plate/Placard Application found at the MVD forms library. The completed application form must be mailed to: Arizona Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division-Special Plates Unit; P.O. Box 2100-Mail Drop 801Z; Phoenix 85001-2100.

Customers with a vehicle that qualified under the previous program (Honda Civic Hybrid, Honda Insight and non-plug-in Toyota Prius) and is currently registered with an Energy Efficient plate will be allowed to continue to use their plate on that vehicle and drive in the HOV lane until they sell/transfer the vehicle. The Energy Efficient issued plate may only be transferred to a qualifying plug-in hybrid electric vehicle that is owned or leased by the same registered owner.

Drivers are reminded that this is a federal- and state-approved program that could be changed or ended at any time. For more information on the Energy Efficient Plate Program, application process and qualifying vehicles, please visit the ADOT Motor Vehicle Division website at azdot.gov/mvd.

Delays on US 89 north of Cameron as paving continues

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adot-logo-03aThe Arizona Department of Transportation is currently paving an eight-mile section of US 89 near US 160, between mileposts 477 and 485, about 15 miles north of Cameron.

Drivers can expect heavy delays during the paving operation, which must take place during the day because the asphalt must be applied within in certain temperature range that cannot be reached overnight.

Flaggers will guide vehicles through the construction zone during work hours. Paving takes place from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily Wednesday, Aug. 6 and Thursday, Aug. 7 this week and Monday, Aug. 11 and Tuesday, Aug. 12 next week. During work hours, delays could range between 45 minutes to one hour.

Motorists traveling from Flagstaff to Kingman should plan ahead, expect delays

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adot-logo-03aPARKS – Motorists traveling along Interstate 40 from Flagstaff to Kingman need to plan ahead and allow extra travel time as the Arizona Department of Transportation continues a rockfall containment project approximately 15 miles west of Flagstaff that will require weekly 30-minute rolling closures due to blasting operations.

Beginning at 9 a.m. on Thursday, July 31, a rolling closure for up to 30 minutes will be necessary in both directions of I-40 near Parks (mileposts 180-181) to allow crews to perform blasting rock cuts along the highway and clear debris from the roadway. In preparation for the blasting work, westbound I-40 is currently narrowed to one lane through the work zone until the restriction is lifted on Friday afternoon.

A weekly 30-minute rolling closure is scheduled to occur at 9 a.m. during mid-week until the project is completed. ADOT will notify the public in advance of the weekly rolling closures until the project is completed.

The $1.6 million safety improvement project is necessary to protect motorists and prevent damage to the highway from falling rocks, particularly during monsoon storms and heavy rains, while reducing the frequency of closures due to falling rocks. Work includes rock excavation and scaling, installing rockfall netting and constructing a wider rock ditch.

This is one of four current I-40 projects between Flagstaff and Kingman. ADOT recently started a $13.6 million project to upgrade a 15-mile segment between Rattlesnake Wash, five miles east of Kingman, and the US 93 junction (mileposts 57-72). The paving project is expected to be completed this fall.

ADOT is nearly complete with a resurfacing project from Ash Fork to Williams (mileposts 146-161). The $10.5 million project started last summer, and following a winter shutdown, the project will be completed this year. In the same vicinity, ADOT is also working on bridge rehabilitation projects from Ash Fork to West Ash Fork (mileposts 143-147).

Arizona joins “botched execution” list

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wood_joseph1FLORENCE, ARIZONA – Arizona now joins the list of so-called botched executions with the two-hour ordeal of Joseph Rudolph Wood III. Wood was put to death for the murder of his estranged girlfriend and father in a body shop in Tucson, Arizona.

The Arizona ACLU issued a statement calling for a moratorium on executions until it can be proved that the murders die more peaceful than their victims.

The events surrounding Mr. Wood’s execution clearly signal that Arizona must put a moratorium on executions. Until state officials can convince the public and the people we plan to put to death that the process will be transparent and in compliance with the Eighth Amendment, the death penalty must be put on hold. What happened today to Mr. Wood was an experiment that the state did its best to hide. Now we see that our government officials cannot be trusted to take seriously our Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Arizona had clear warnings from Ohio and Oklahoma. Instead of ensuring that a similar outcome was avoided here, our state officials cloaked the plans for Mr. Wood’s death in secrecy. Arizonans should not accept our state’s willingness to abandon one of our most fundamental constitutional obligations.

Unconcerned with complying with the Eighth Amendment, Joseph Wood carried out the double-execution in August 1989 of Debbie Dietz and her father Gene at their family-run car body shop in Tuscon, Arizona. It is not widely reported thus unknown exactly how long Debbie and Gene may have suffered in actual pain.

Governor Jan Brewer issued a statement expressing concern about the time it took for the Wood execution to complete.

I am concerned by the length of time it took for the administered drug protocol to complete the lawful execution of the convicted double murderer, Joseph Wood. While justice was carried out today, I directed the Department of Corrections to conduct a full review of the process.

One thing is certain, however, inmate Wood died in a lawful manner and by eyewitness and medical accounts he did not suffer. This is in stark comparison to the gruesome, vicious suffering that he inflicted on his two victims – and the lifetime of suffering he has caused their family.

According to The Arizona Star, surviving victim Jeanne Brown said.

You don’t know what excruciating is. Excruciating is seeing your dad lying in a pool of blood.

Her husband, Richard, stated that Wood got the punishment that he deserved.

According to the article, Wood at one point smiled at the family which angered them. In his final statement he said that he was thankful for Jesus Christ as his savior. He is quoted as saying:

I take comfort knowing today my pain stops, and I said a prayer that on this or any other day you may find peace in all of your hearts and may God forgive you all.

Charles Ryan, the Director of the Arizona Department of Corrections, issued a statement indicating that the media and ACLU characterization of the execution is misleading. He stated that execution protocol was followed by the Department of Corrections and was “…monitored by an IV team of licensed medical professionals.”

Once the inmate was sedated, other than sonorous respiration, or snoring, he did not grimace or make any further movement. Throughout this execution, I conferred and collaborated with our IV team members and was assured unequivocally that the inmate was comatose and never in pain or distress.

Ryan noted that physiologically the time to complete an execution varies with each individual. The Pima County Medical Examiner will conduct a full autopsy and toxicology study.

The concern over lethal injection is not new in Arizona. In 2011, Daniel Wayne Cook received a stay of execution from the Supreme Court over the use of the knockout drug sodium thiopental. Cook raped, tortured and murdered Carlos Cruz Ramos, 26, and Kevin Swaney, 16 in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. The rape and torture of Ramos took some six-hours. It included cigarette burns and repeated beating and rape. He was executed in August of 2012 with no apparent complications.

The controversy today apparently stems from the use of a new concoction of drugs which is apparently kept a secret from the public.

SR 89A reduced to one lane through switchbacks

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Drivers can expect minimal delays as crews finish striping SR 89A through the switchbacks from Pine Flats Campground to the Vista Point Overlook. One lane will be closed during operations, with flaggers allowing alternating access for traffic. Striping is expected to be completed by Friday, and will be underway daily from 6 am to 6pm during operations.

Traffic delays may occur during construction with traffic reduced to one lane. There will be directional signage and flaggers present during construction. ADOT advises motorists to be alert for construction equipment and personnel, and to proceed through the work zone with caution.

ADOT’s Loop 303 project between Glendale and Peoria avenues wins regional award for budget savings

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640px-303PHOENIX – One of the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Phoenix-area freeway projects has won an award for being completed under budget, according to a major transportation association.

ADOT’s Loop 303 expansion project between Peoria and Glendale avenues was $8.5 million under its $80 million budget and earned one of the “America’s Transportation Awards” from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) during the group’s western region conference in Albuquerque.

“We’re very proud of this recognition because it reflects our commitment as a steward of the taxpayers’ investment in our transportation system,” said ADOT Director John Halikowski. “We strive to save funds that can be used on additional freeway improvements.”

The Loop 303 improvements between Peoria and Glendale avenues are part of a series of five major projects ADOT began in 2011 to reconstruct more than 12 miles of Loop 303 north of Interstate 10. Construction crews have changed an outdated two-lane highway into a modern six-lane freeway with on- and off-ramps at major cross-street interchanges.

The award-winning project includes ramps connecting with the new east-west Northern Parkway, a smooth and durable rubberized asphalt pavement and bridges taking Loop 303 over local railroad tracks.

In pointing out ongoing uncertainty about transportation funding in the U.S., AASHTO President Mike Hancock said awards like the one given to ADOT “not only give state departments of transportation recognition for their hard work and incredible results, but also highlight the need for stability as the federal Highway Trust Fund continues its decline toward critical levels.”

ADOT is preparing to complete its series of Loop 303 expansion projects between I-10 and Grand Avenue (US 60) in the West Valley in September, when the freeway-to-freeway interchange linking I-10 and Loop 303 in Goodyear is due to open to traffic.

The America’s Transportation Awards competition is sponsored by AAA, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and AASHTO.

Salt River Canyon rest area to reopen before Thanksgiving holiday

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4c212e6614554.preview-300PHOENIX – Travelers along US 60 between Globe and Show Low will once again have a place to stop and rest by this fall. The Arizona Department of Transportation is renovating the Salt River Canyon rest area, which has been closed for the past several years.

The project will include restroom building renovations, replacement of the composting toilet system, water well work, new parking lot pavement and new signage.

Construction work should not interfere with traffic on US 60 through the Salt River Canyon, but the work zone will be signed and drivers are advised to proceed through the area with caution.

The Salt River Canyon rest area has been closed for the last several years due to extensive repair needs for which there was no funding. In 2011, ADOT started a $17.4 million rest area rehabilitation program that prioritized rest area repair projects and began to include them in ADOT’s Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program. With funding now available, the Salt River Canyon rest area is receiving the upgrades it needs.

Sunset Point, Bouse Wash, McGuireville and Hassayampa rest areas have all been refurbished through the rest area rehabilitation program. ADOT will make repairs to 12 remaining rest areas over the next few years.

Once the Salt River Canyon rest area reopens, it will be maintained by Infrastructure Corporation of America, the private entity which manages the operation and maintenance of the rest areas through a public-private partnership with ADOT.

Lane restrictions on I-17 next week for guardrail repair

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adot-logo3The Arizona Department of Transportation will begin guardrail repair on Monday, July 21 on Interstate 17 from Table Mesa Road to just south of State Route 169, and will continue through Wednesday, July 23.

The work between mileposts 235 and 274 requires alternating lane restrictions in both directions and intermittent shoulder closures from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. No delays are expected.

The speed limit through the work zones will be reduced to 45 mph during work hours. Arizona Revised Statute 28-710 §B. provides for double the fine for speeding through a marked highway work zone.

Honor fellow wildlife conservationists at the 2014 Outdoor Hall of Fame Banquet

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Pronghorn_buck_AZGFD_by_George_Andrejko-3_1_thumbMake plans now to attend the 17th annual Arizona Outdoor Hall of Fame Banquet on Saturday, August 23, at the Chaparral Suites Scottsdale, 5001 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85250.

This year’s inductees into the Outdoor Hall of Fame include: the Saba Family, the Buckskin Chapter of the Arizona Deer Association, Art Craker, Brian Pinney (posthumously), and Gary Swanson (posthumously).

The social hour and silent auction begin at 6 p.m. Dinner is served at 7 p.m., followed by the induction ceremony. The evening will also feature a live auction, exciting raffle prizes and musical entertainment by the Back Porch Bandits.

Individual tickets are $70. A table for 10 is $700. A table of ten and a full-page ad in the full-color banquet brochure is $1,200.

The Arizona Outdoor Hall of Fame was developed in 1998 by the Wildlife for Tomorrow Foundation to honor those who have made significant contributions to Arizona’s wildlife, the welfare of its natural resources, and the state’s outdoor heritage.

Read more at Arizona Game and Fish

SR 89A south of JW Powell to expect hauling activity

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Drivers traveling north- and south-bound on SR 89A just south of the JW Powell intersection can expect short delays as flaggers allow trucks and heavy equipment to cross over the roadway near milepost 399.

Crossing operations are required to allow the equipment to travel over SR 89A via a haul road. The trucks will be carrying fill material to construct the southbound on-ramp to I-17 as part of an improvement project, which includes installation of a roundabout.

Construction hours are between 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Drivers can expect short delays during equipment crossings and hauling activity can be anticipated for the next two weeks during on-ramp construction.